Straight bar knitting machines



March 31, 1970 R. BLOOD ET 3,503,227 STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES I 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 30, 1967 March 31, 1970 BLOOD ET AL 3,503,227

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed June 50, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M W5 T5 4, L

March 31, 1970 BLOOD ETAL 3,503,227

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a I a mafia X United States Patent 3,503,227 STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Raymond Blood, Shepshed, and Barry Colin Strong, Syston, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited Filed June 30, 1967, Ser. No. 650,421 Claims priority, application Great Britain, May 17, 1967, 22,807/ 67 Int. Cl. D041) /04 U.S. Cl. 66--96 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of cable stitching in knitted fabric by one, two or four transfer points in seven, nine and four transfer and reset motions respectively with sideways transfer motions in selective manner over half gauge needles and dummy needles for varying needle space distance in varying directions so that the cable stitch loops are on three, four or three half gauge needles respectively in half gauge fabric.

Reference is made to British patent application No. 22,807/67 of May 17, 1967, William Cotton Limited, from which-priority is claimed.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to straight bar knitting machines and concerns the production of knitted fabric with cable stitch patterning of the kind disclosed in our US. patent application Ser. No. 595,882, which provides a method of cable stitching in a straight bar knitting machine equipped with means for lace patterning which includes lace points adapted for individual and/ or joint use to transfer loops in opposite directions from certain needles to other needles of the machine, which method consists in adapting a predetermined small number of lace points to cooperate with a small group of a predetermined greater number of adjacent needles, between consecutive knitting operations, and to transfer, by opposite transfer motions of the same predetermined small number of the lace points over predetermined numbers of needle distances, yarn loops originally on needles at each side of the group of needles to the other side of the group in a number of transfer and reset operations which is the minimum possible according to the number of points used and the number of needle distances elected for the transfer motions of the number of points.

In the example particularly described in the Patent and in the further examples disclosed in our US patent application Ser. No. 708,833, the fabric produced and the cabling is of full gauge.

In certain instances it is desired to cable stitch at half gauge, i.e., on alternate needles only but the above arrangements for cabling are suitable only for full gauge.

An object of the invention is to provide a method of cable stitching of such improved form as to be suitable for half gauge work.

The invention provides a method of cable stitch patterning in knitted fabric produced on a straight bar knitting machine equipped with means for lace patterning which consists in adapting a predetermined small number of lace points to cooperate with a small group of a predetermined greater number of needles at half gauge spacing, between consecutive knitting operations, and to transfer by opposite transfer motion of the same predetermined number of lace points over predetermined numbers of the half gauge needles of the group, yarn loops originally on half gauge needles at each side of the group of needles to half gauge needles at the other side of the group, in a number of transfer and reset operations. Conveniently, only one point bar is used with one, or more points.

In an arrangement with only one point, there are seven transfer and reset motions including cooperation with dummy needles between the half gauge needles for a cable stitch in which the crossed loops are on three needles.

In an arrangement with two points at three full gauge needle spacing, there are nine transfer and reset motions including cooperation with dummy needles between the half gauge needles for a cable stitch in which the crossed loops are on four needles.

In an arrangement with four points, three of which are at full gauge spacing and the remaining one of which is at half gauge spacing from the other three, there are four transfer and reset motions, including cooperation with dummy needles between the half gauge needles, for a cable stitch in which the crossed loops are on three needles.

Specific embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic representation of one sequence of operations for cable stitching by use of a single point on a single point bar.

FIGURE 2 is a similar view to FIGURE 1 using a pair of points of half gauge spacing on the single point bar.

FIGURE 3 is a similar view to FIGURES 1 and 2 using four points on a single point bar.

Each of the three illustrated methods of cable stitching are carried out on a Cottons patent straight bar knitting machine having bearded needles such as 1a to 1d, FIG- URE 1, set out at half gauge with dummy needles such as 1e to lg between them, and loop transfer mechanism including a single point bar having one, two, or four loop transfer points such as P in FIGURE 1.

In the method of FIGURE 1 only one point P is used in seven transfer and reset motions in cooperation with the four half gauge needles 1a to 1d and two of the dummy needles 1 1g and having sideways motions varying between one, two and three full gauge needle spaces in the following sequence, the spaces referred to being full gauge needle spaces.

Starting with the point P at needles 1d Stage T1-loop 4Ltwo spaces left to needle 10 Stage R1-point P-reset two spaces left to needle 1b Stage T2loop 2Lthree spaces right to dummy needle Stage R2point P-remains at dummy needle 1g Stage T3loop 2Lone space right to needle 1d Stage R3point Preset two spaces left to needle 10 Stage T4loops 3L, 4L two spaces left to needles 1]) Stage R4-point Preset two spaces left to needle 1a Stage T5loop 1Lthree spaces right to dummy needle Stage R5point P-remains at dummy needle 1 Stage T6-loop 1Lone space right to needle 1c Stage R6point Preset two spaces left to needle 1b Stage T7-loops 3L, 4L two spaces left to needle 10 Stage R7point P-- reset seven spaces right to needle In,

which requires a course rack By this method the loops 1L, 2L and the loops 3L, 4L cross to opposite sides of three half gauge needles 1a, 10 and 1d; this is followed by knitting plain courses on the four half gauge needles 1a to 1d and repeating the whole sequence as many times as required to produce the desired length of cable stitching of double strand type. If it is desired for the cable stitching to be of treble strand form the obvious sequence of further transfer operations are additionally effected.

In a modified method of FIGURE 2, two points P, P1 and three full gauge needle spacing are used in nine transfer and reset motions in cooperation with five half gauge needles 1a to 1d, 111 and with two dummy needles 1 1g of the four dummy needles 1e1g, 1i between the five half gauge needles, and having varying full gauge 3 needle space sideways motions referred to with reference to FIGURE 1 in the following Sequence.

Starting with the points P, P1 at needle 1a, and dummy needle 1) Stage Tl-loop 1Ltwo spaces right to needle 1b by point P Stage R1-points reset one space right to dummy needle 1f, and needle 1d Stage T2loop 4Lt-hree spaces left to dummy needle 1 by point P1 Stage R2-points reset three spaces right to dummy needle 1 and needle 1d Stage T3loop 4L-three spaces left to dummy needle 1a by point P Stage R3-points reset one space right to dummy needle 1e, and needle 1c Stage T4loop 3L-two spaces right to needle 1d by point P1 Stage R4-points reset one space left to needle 1b and dummy needle 1g Stage T5loops 1L, 2L two spaces right to needle by point P Stage R5-points reset one space right to dummy needle 1g and needle 1h Stage T6loop 5Lthree spaces left to dummy needle 1g by point P1 Stage R6- points reset three needle spaces right to dummy needle 1g and needle 1h Stage T7loop 5L-three spaces left to needle 1b by point P Stage R7points reset one space right to dummy needle 1f and needle 1d Stage T8loop 3Ltwo spaces right to needle lit by point P1 Stage R8point reset one space left to needle 10 and dummy needle 1i Stage T9loops 1L, 2L two spaces right to needle 1d by point P Stage R9points reset six spaces left to needle 1a and dummy needle 1 Which requires a course rack.

By this method the loops 1L, 2L, 3L and the loops 4L, 5L cross to opposite sides of four half gauge needles 1a, 1b, 1d, 1h; this is followed by knitting plain courses on the five half gauge needles 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1h and repeating the sequence with or without additional transfer operation as described for FIGURE 1.

In a further modified method of FIGURE 3, three points P1, P2, P3 at full gauge spacing and a fourth point P at half gauge spacing from point P1 are used in four transfer and reset motions in cooperation with the four half gauge needles 1a to 1d and with the one dummy needle 1 of the three dummy needles 1e to lg between the half gauge needles, and having varying full gauge needle space sideways motions hereinbefore referred, in the following sequence:

Starting with the points P, P1-3 at needle 1a, 1b dummy needle 1! and needle 1c Stage Tl-loop 1L-3L two spaces right to needles lb-ld by points P, P1, P3

Stage R1points reset one space right point P2 to needle Stage T2-loops 3L, 4L three spaces left to dummy needle 1 by point P2 1 Stage R2points reset three spaces right, point P to dummy needle 1f Stage T3--loops 3L, 4L three spaces left to needle 1a by point P Stage R3-points reset two spaces right, point P to needle 1b point P1 to needle 1c Stage T4loops 1L, 2L two spaces right to needle 10, 1d

by points P, P1

Stage R4-points reset three spaces left to needle 1a, 1b

dummy needle 1 and needle 10 By this method the loops 1L, 2L and the loops 3L, 4L cross to opposite sides of three half gauge needles 1a, 10, 1d this is followed by knitting plain courses on the four half gauge needles 1a1d and repeating the sequence for double strand cable stitching.

It will be understood that the machine may have all its needles composed of a half gauge set of needles and the remainder dummy needles therebetween so that the fabric having the cabling is half gauge fabric. The machine will have usual means for operating the needles for knitting successive courses, means for interrupting the knitting, the single point bar with the appropriate number of points for transferring the loops during the interruption of the knitting, usual mechanism for dipping the points, means for causing the clipping mechanism to operate four, seven, or nine times during a single interruption, and means for causing the points to shift sideways in the manner 'hereinbefore tabulated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a method of knitting a cable from a series of four consecutive wales by four consecutive knitting needles which alternate with three blank needles, while utilizing for the cable knitting a single point, the steps of initially situating the point in line with the fourth knitting needle, actuating the point to transfer the fourth wale loop from the fourth knitting needle and out of the fourth wale onto the third needle and into the third wale which thus has doubled loops, then shifting the point into line with the second knitting needle and actuating the point to transfer the second wale loop first from the second knitting needle and out of the second wale onto the third blank needle and then from this needle to the fourth knitting needle and into the fourth wale, then shifting the point into line with the third knitting needle and actuating the point to transfer said doubled loops from the third knitting needle and out of the third wale onto the second knitting needle and into the second wale, then shifting the point intoline with the first knitting needle and actuating the point to transfer the first wale loop from the first knitting needle and out of the first wale first onto the second blank needle and then from this needle onto the third knitting needle and into the third wale, and then shifting the point into line with the second knitting needle and actuating the point to transfer said doubled loops from the second knitting needle and out of the second wale onto the first knitting needle and into the first wale.

- 2. In a method of cable knitting from a series of five consecutive wales by five consecutive knitting needles which alternate with four blank needles, while utilizing for the cable knitting two points spaced from each other by a distance equal to the distance between four consecutive knitting and blank needles, the steps of initially situating the points in line with the first knitting needle and the second blank needle and actuating the points to transfer the firstwale loop from the first knitting needle and out of the first wale onto the second knitting needle and into the second wale which thus has doubled loops, then shifting the points into line with the second blank needle and the fourth knitting needle and actuating the points to transfer the fourth wale loop from the fourth knitting needle and out of the fourth wale first onto the second blank needle and then from this needle onto the first knitting needle and into the first wale, then shifting the points into line with the first blank needle and the third knitting needle and actuating the points to transfer the third wale loop from the third needle and out of the third wale onto the fourth knitting needle and into the fourth wale, then shifting the points into line with the second knitting needle and the third blank needle and actuating the points to transfer said double loops from the second knitting needle and out of the second wale onto the third knitting needle and into the third wale, then shifting the points to the third blank needle and the fifth knitting needle and actuatingthe points to transfer the fifth wale loop from the fifth needle and out of the fifth wale first onto the third blank needle and then from this needle onto the second knitting needle and into the second wale, then shifting the points into line with the second blank needle and the fourth knitting needle and actuating the points to transfer the third wale loop from the fourth knitting needle and out of the fourth wale onto the fifth knitting needle and into the fifth wale, and then shifting the points into line with the third knitting needle and the fourth blank needle and actuating the points to transfer said doubled looped from the third knitting needle and out of the third wale onto the fourth knitting needle and into the fourth wale.

3. In a method of knitting a cable from a series of four consecutive wales by four consecutive knitting needles which alternate with three blank needles, while utilizing a single point and three consecutive points spaced from the single point for a distance equal to the distance between three consecutive knitting and blank needles, the steps of initially situating the points to bring the first, second and fourth points into line with the first, second and third knitting needle and the third point into line with the second blank needle, actuating the points for the first, second and fourth points to transfer the first, second and third wale loops from the first, second and third knitting needles and out of the first, second and third wales respectively onto the second, third and fourth knitting needles and into the second, third and fourth wales, then shifting 6 the points to bring the first and second points into line with the second and third blank needles and the third point into line with the fourth knitting needle, actuating the points for the third point to transfer said doubled loops from the fourth knitting needle and out of the fourth wale first onto the second blank needle and then from this needle onto the first knitting needle and into the first wale, then shifting the points to bring the first, second and fourth points into line with the second, third and fourth knitting needles and the third point into line with the third blank needle, and actuating the points for the first and second points to transfer the first and second wale loops from the second and third knitting needles and out of the second and third wales respectively onto the third and fourth knitting needles and into the third and fourth wales.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,142 2/1960 Golaski 6696 3,004,415 10/1961 Golaski 6696 3,100,975 8/1963 Brown et a1. 6696 3,242,697 3/ 1966 Harrison et al. 6696 3,246,488 4/1966 Harrison et a1. 6696 3,256,718 6/ 1966 Boutillette et a1. 6696 3,431,752 3/ 1969 Crawford 6696 RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner 

